Government

Commission Upholds $75 Ticket Issued for Parking in front of Fire Hydrant

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Town officials this month upheld a $75 ticket issued to a local man who’d parked in front of a fire hydrant on Main Street. Vinh Nguyen told members of the Parking Commission during an appeal hearing that he knew it was wrong to park in front of the hydrant on a day that he needed to run into a bakery to pick up a pre-ordered item with his young daughter in tow. “I actually drove around and could not find parking, so I decided to just pull right in front of the shop, came in, picked up the pastry and we ran out and got a ticket,” he told the Commission during the appointed body’s Dec. 3 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.”I was wrong, nothing to complain about here, but would love to see if you could reconsider or give me a warning or something like that this time.”

Following brief deliberations, the Commission voted 4-0 to uphold the ticket, which had been issued at 11:15 a.m. on Nov. 26 (a Wednesday).

Government

Town Upholds $30 Ticket Issued to Elm Street Worker

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Town officials last week upheld a $30 ticket issued to a local retail shop worker who overstayed in a Main Street parking space. The Parking Commission voted 4-0 to uphold the ticket that had been issued to Vanessa Brown. During an appeal hearing at the appointed body’s regular meeting, Brown said that she parked on Main Street after dropping off her child and intended on moving the car but got there just 15 minutes too late. 

Brown told the Commission that it was raining out on the Monday morning in question and that overstaying in the space “was not intentional.”

“I had to run into work to open the store and then I was going to move my car at the appropriate time and then got stuck with a customer,” Brown said at the Dec. 1 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. During the appeal hearing, commissioners asked whether Brown was working at the time the ticket was issued (yes), how far away from Main Street she works (at The Linen Shop on Elm Street, so not far), whether she always parks on the street (not always), whether she knows about the free parking permits in the Center and Locust Lots that are available for downtown workers (yes but it’s hard to get one from the business owner and a bit of a hike to the store), 

Commissioner Katie O’Neill said, “On behalf of merchants I will only add that taking customers’ parking is frowned upon.” 

Brown responded that she understood, though some Main Street merchants park on the street “all day without getting a ticket.”

O’Neill said, “They should not be tolerating it from each other, especially implementing our new parking initiatives….

Government

Town: Mostly Positive Feedback on Change to Paid Parking on Elm

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Town officials say last month’s switchover to paid parking on Elm Street downtown has gone as smoothly as could be expected, with several compliments on the change as well as some frustrations and complaints. The Parking Bureau at Town Hall is getting “a lot of positive feedback with people coming into the office or calling saying that this was a good program, a good initiative that we started,” according to Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg. “We are seeing space availability, we are seeing movement on Elm Street, and turnover,” she said during the Nov. 5 regular meeting of the Parking Commission, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “So the initiative is accomplishing what the goal was.

Government

Town Upholds $30 Ticket Issued for Parking on the Grass

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Town officials last week upheld a $30 ticket issued to a New Canaan woman who parked on the grass near Mill Pond. During an appeal hearing before the Parking Commission at its Sept. 3 meeting, Millport Avenue resident Daphney Legrand said she’s lived in town for 10 years and has parked her car in the grassy area in the past. “Second of all, I still see people parking there and they don’t have a ticket,” Legrand said during the Commission’s regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. Legrand added that there’s no signage specifically prohibiting a motorist from parking on the grass.

Government

Town Upholds Two $30 Tickets for Parking in Town Hall Lot

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Officials this month upheld two $30 tickets issued to a Norwalk woman for parking at Town Hall for more than one hour without a reason for being there. Karen Gallagher, a former New Canaan resident of 30 years, told members of the Parking Commission at an appeal hearing that she was “unaware that the Town Hall lot was ticketed during the summer.”

“I’ve parked [in the Town Hall lot] multiple times in the past and have never gotten a ticket,” Gallagher told the Commission at its regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “Now, this one time, I get two tickets.”

Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg outlined the reasoning for each of the tickets given on June 17. “The first ticket was for not being in Town Hall,” she said. “There is clear signage that says Town Hall Parking Only throughout the lot.”

Miltenberg added: “The second ticket was given because there is a one hour time period for the lot, which she went over.”

Commission Secretary Kevin Karl and member John Clarke voted 2-0 to uphold the two tickets.